After nine great days in Custer, South Dakota, we headed to Colorado and spent our first week at the Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado Springs. We were thrilled with our campsite - nestled at the base of Cheyenne Mountain set up on a hill overlooking Colorado Springs and with full hook-ups (power, water, and sewer) no less! After nearly a month of not having full hook-ups, we were pretty excited.
Our first afternoon was spent relaxing and enjoying the campground. The next day, we met up with friends in Castle Rock for lunch. John and Niki both worked at Raytheon and I have known them for years. They have a house in Evergreen, CO and also have an Airstream. Castle Rock was a good midpoint and we had a wonderful lunch and it was so nice to catch up.
After lunch, we headed back to Colorado Springs and went to Costco - very exciting! We ran a few other errands, then spent the rest of the afternoon at the campsite. We had incredible sunsets here and this night was definitely the best - Paul captured so many beautiful shots on his GoPro.
He also captured a star lapse that evening:
We really fell in love with this area and campsite - so beautiful. The next day we went to Garden of the Gods, which is a very special city park. This park was given to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909 by the children of railway magnate Charles Elliott Perkins, who bought the land in 1879 with plans to build a summer home. He chose never to build on it, preferring to leave the landscape in its natural state for everyone to enjoy. As Perkins died before making his wishes official, his children honored his vision with the stipulation that it would always be free to visit. And it still is and always will be.
There are multiple hiking trails throughout the park
Balanced Rock
There are beautiful red rock formations throughout the park.
The next morning, we drove to the summit of Pike's Peak - 14,115 in elevation. Paul did an amazing job getting us to the top and the panoramic views were stunning. He also took a time laps video on his GoPro as we ascended.
At the entrance - there is a small fee to drive the road.
At the top - success - what a great driver!
We were so lucky to have such a glorious day. It was a little chilly at the top - around 50 degrees so we had our warm clothes ready!
We heard that the cafe at Pike's Peak is known for their donuts - so of course we had to try them and they were quite delicious!
There is a railway that takes people to the top multiple times a day. We considered doing this, but Paul really wanted to drive and it was great to have our own vehicle and be on our own schedule.
Katherine Lee Bates, who wrote America The Beautiful, drew inspiration from her time at the summit to form some of the beautiful lyrics - "purple mountain majesties"
14,115 feet - we were huffing and puffing!
A great visitor center with interesting exhibits
On our way down . . . we saw a few bikers ascending and thought that was pretty crazy! Not only all uphill, but the altitude on top of it!
Above the tree line
We stopped at a beautiful overlook on our way down.
Near the top, the road was very winding - lots of hairpin turns.
The tree line!
A beautiful reservoir and dam (white) which we crossed as part of the trek.
After Pike's Peak, we headed into Manitou Springs for lunch. It's a really cute downtown area close to Garden of the Gods. After lunch, we returned to the beautiful park and did some more exploring.
In front of window rock with Pike's Peak Summit behind us.
The formation behind us is Siamese rocks - you can't see it in this picture, but window rock is behind my hat!
Splendid views of the rock formations
As we were nearing the parking lot, two mule deer crossed our path - Paul captured this great shot!
Over the next few days, we did more hiking - there are lots of beautiful trails in the area, including our campground. We were once again blessed with amazing weather.
There are 12 Farmers Markets in Colorado Springs, but after doing some research, we heard the one in Old Colorado City was the best - and it did not disappoint.
Roasting green chiles right there!
Lots of wonderful local vendors
Our bounty - yum!
On our last day, we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It was voted #2 best Zoo in the country for multiple consecutive years and it is home to one of the largest outdoor giraffe herds in North America. It was a fun day and wonderful zoo.
As you walked along, they would have animals out on the walkways for people to enjoy.
Watching the hippo was hilarious! They are HUGE.
Beautiful peacocks strolled everywhere
Just hangin' out . . .
They also had a huge elephant center and display
The highlight of the day was feeding the giraffes - such fun! You could buy bundles of lettuce and there were about 10 giraffes thoroughly enjoying the bounty!
I couldn't get the romaine in his mouth fast enough!
Overall, we had a wonderful week in Colorado Springs - we did so much and we also relaxed at our campsite every afternoon. We spent another week in this beautiful state - Ridgway State Park and Mesa Verde National Park. More on that in the next post!
As always, thanks for following along and for your love and support! XXOO, Jen & Paul
